Polkomtel hit with fine for misleading advertising

18 Feb 2013

Polish anti-trust authority the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has fined Polkomtel PLN4.49 million (USD1.43 million) for misleading advertising regarding its ‘36.6’ and ‘Simplus’ tariffs. The cellco had advertised a flat rate of PLN0.29 per minute for calls to all networks, but failed to note that one operator was not covered by the deal. UOKiK added that through the use of font size and colour, background and text direction, information given about the offer was ‘vague, difficult to read [making it] impossible for consumers to familiarise themselves with the actual conditions.’ UOKiK’s decision is not final, however, and the ruling has been appealed to the courts.